V. I. Lenin

Material for Working Out the R.S.D.L.P. Programme{11}

Published:Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1977,

      Moscow,Volume 41,

      pages38.2-53.1.Translated:Yuri SdobnikovTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaCopyleft:V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marxists.org)
      © 2004

      Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the
      terms of theGNU Free Documentation License.

OUTLINE OF VARIOUS POINTS OF THE PRACTICAL SECTION OF THE DRAFT
PROGRAMME

{| Finished | }§ 11. Supervision by the organs of local self-government with the
participation of workers’ delegates over the sanitary state of the living
quarters provided for workers by their employers, over the internal
regulations on these premises and the terms of their lease, to safeguard
wage-workers against intervention by employers in their life and activity
as private persons and citizens.

§ 12.Correctly organised all-round sanitary supervision of
working conditions at all enterprises employing wage labour.

13.Extension of supervision by factory inspectors to all the trades,
handicrafts and cottageindustries, and also to government enterprises and agricultural enterprises
employing wage labour.

Ag r a r i a n.

With the aim of eliminating all the remnants of our old serf-owning system,
the Social-Democratic Labour Party demands:1) cancellation of redemption payments2) freedom of withdrawal from commune3) reduction of rents through the courts4) cut-off
lands.{12})}

{Axelrod and Berg: “facilitatingthe struggle by thepeasant

massagainst capitalist relations (or certain capitalist tendencies)”.}

OUTLINE OF PLEKHANOV’S FIRST DRAFT PROGRAMME WITH SOME AMENDMENTS

Paragraphs:

I.Domination of capitalist relations: the means of production in the
hands of the capitalists, and the property-less
		    proletarians=wage-workers—2.{1}

II.Expansion of the sphere of domination of capital: growing economic
importance of the big and decline of the small enterprises—1.

III.Capitalist relations weigh more and more heavily on the working
class: occasioning a relative reduction in demand simultaneously with an
increase in supply—4.

IV.Reduction in the price of labour-power. Growing social
inequality—3.

+consequently (capitalism causes??) the growth of social inequality, the
growing gulf between the propertied and the propertyless (? + ?)

V.Crises—5.

VI.Growing discontent of the working class, sharpening struggle ± growing realisation of the need forsocial revolution, i.e.(explanation of it)—6.

VII.Social revolution in the interests of all oppressed mankind—7.

VIII.In order to substitute socialist for commodity production the proletariat must have command ofpolitical power—dictatorship of the proletariat—8.

IX.The working-class movement has become international—10.

X.Russian Social-Democracy is part of international Social-Democracy—11.

XI.Russian Social-Democracy pursues the same ultimate aim. The task of Russian Social-Democracy is to{

expose the irreconcilable character of the interests
explain the importance of the social revolution
organise the workers’ forces} —9.

XII.The immediate aim is modified by the remnants of the serf-owning
system (a burden on the entire working population + the main obstacle
hindering the working-class movement).

XIII.It is necessary to work for juridical institutions constituting a
complement to capitalism.

XIV.Autocracy—a remnant of the serf-owning system, the bitterest enemy; hence the immediate task is to over throw themonarchy.

AMENDMENTS TO PLEKHANOV’S DRAFT PROGRAMME

Proposed21.1.02

III.[The capitalist production relations weigh more and, more heavily on the
working class, as

III.technical progress (by increasing the productivity of labour?) not
only gives the capitalists the material pos-

gress,[by increasing the productivity of labour,] not only, etc. {instead of
occasioning—engendring)

+The growth of unemployment, poverty, degradation and oppression is the inevitable result of this basic tendency of capitalism.

sibilityof intensifying their exploitation of the workers, but converts this
possibility into reality, engendering a relative reduction in thedemandfor labour-power simultaneously with a relative and absolute
increase in Its supply. The growth of unemployment, poverty, oppression and
degradation is the inevitable result of this basic tendency of capitalism.

(ofthesaid basictendencies)

Make§ 5.BOX:I n c o r r e c t:not all.

IV.Thus, the development of the productive forces of social labour is
attended
by the monopolisation of all the advantages of this development by a
negligible minority, with the growth of social wealth proceeding side by side
with the growth of social inequality, with the gulf between the propertied and
the propertyless, between the class of property-owners and the class of the
proletariat, growing.

V.{2}An even greater worsening of the condition of the working
class and the petty producers is engendered by the

industrialcrises, which are the inevitable outcome of the said contradictions
of capitalism,

inthe absence of social control over production and owing to the constantly
growing

owingto the lack of balanced development of production, and the growth of
rivalry

Withsuch a state of affairs in society, in the absence of balanced development
of pro-

rivalryamong the capitalist countries on the world
market.{3}

amongthe capitalist countries on the world market. The poverty and destitution
of the masses are accompanied by a waste of social wealth because markets are
not to be found for the commodities produced.

duction,with the constantly growing rivalry among the capitalist countries on
the world market, the sale of commodities necessarily lags behind their
=

production.{4}

RECORD OF POINTS ONE AND TWO OF PLEKHANOV’S =
FIRST DRAFT PROGRAMME, AND OUTLINE OF POINT =
ONE OF THE PROGRAMME’S THEORETICAL SECTION =

I.The capitalist mode of production is the economic foundation of contemporary
bourgeois society, under which the most important part of the means of
production and circulation of products, made in the form of commodities, is the
private property of a relatively small class of persons, whereas the majority of
the population cannot subsist except by selling their labour-power. In consequence
of this, they find themselves in the dependent condition of wage-workers
(proletarians) by their labour creating the income of the owners of the means of
production and the circulation of commodities (capitalists and big landowners).

II.The sphere of domination of the capitalist mode of production is expanding,
as the continuous technical progress increases the economic importance of the
big enterprises and thereby decreases the role of independent small producers in
the economic life of society, depressing their living standard, displacing some
into the ranks of the proletariat, and turning others into direct or indirect
vassals and tributaries of capital.

I(?). Russia’s economic development is leading to an ever greater spread
and ever greater domination within her of capitalist relations of
production.||?||

INITIAL VARIANT OF THE THEORETICAL SECTION
OF THE DRAFT PROGRAMME

I.Russia’s economic
development and her
increasing (intensified)
involvement in international trade are leading
to an ever greater spread{Reword}within her and to ever
fuller domination of the
capitalist mode of production.

I.Russia’s intensified
involvement in international trade and the
growth of commodity production inside the country
are leading to ever fuller
domination within her of
the capitalist mode of
production, which is distinguished by the following basic features.

II.{5}Continuous technical progress is increasing the economic importance of the
big enterprises and reducing the role of the independent small producers
(peasants, artisans, handicraftsmen, et al.) in the country’s economic
life, depressing their living standard, turning some of them into direct or
indirect vassals and tribu

III.Continuous technical progress is increasing the number, size and economic
importance of the big capitalist enterprises, and is depressing the living
standard of the independent small producers (peasants, artisans,
handicraftsmen), turning some of them into vassals and tributaries of capital,
totally ruining others and displac

tariesof capital, and dis placing others into the ranks of the propertyless
class (the proletariat), which is deprived of the means of production.

ingthem into the ranks of the propertyless class (the proletariat), which is deprived of the means of production.

III.The most important part of the means of production and the circulation of
commodities is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a relatively small
class of persons, whereas an ever growing majority of the population are unable
to maintain their existence otherwise than by selling their labour-power. In
consequence of this, they find themselves in the dependent condition of
wage-workers (proletarians), who by their labour create the income of the owners
of the means of production and the circulation of commodities (capitalists and
big landowners).

IV.fly increasing the productivity of labour, technical progress enables the
capitalists to intensify their exploitation of the workers, engendering a
relative reduction in the demand for labour-power (that is, the increase in
demand is not proportional to (lags behind the increase in capital)
simultaneously with a relative and absolute increase in its supply. This,
together with the above-mentioned basic tendencies of capitalism, leads to a
growth of unemployment, poverty, exploitation, oppression and degradation.

V.The condition of the working class and the small producers is even further
worsened by the industrial crises, which are the inevitable outcome of the said
contradictions of capitalism, by the lack of balanced development of production, which is intrinsic to it (and which no associations of industrialists
can eliminate), and by the growth of rivalry among the capitalist countries on
the world market. Poverty and destitution of the masses exist side by side with
a waste of social wealth in consequence of the impossibility of finding markets
for the commodities produced.

VI.Thus, the development of the productive forces of social{Reword}labour is attended

VI.Thus, the gigantic
development of the productive forces of social and
increasingly socialised labour is attended

bythe monopolisation of all the principal advantages of this development by a
negligible minority of the population, with the growth of social wealth
proceeding side by side with the growth of social inequality, with the gulf
between the propertied and propertyless, between the class of property-owners
(the bourgeoisie) and the class of the proletariat, growing.

VII.But as all these inevitable contradictions of capitalism increase ˜and
develop,

thediscontent and indignation of the working class
also grow, and its solidarity increases, in virtue of
the very conditions of the capitalist mode of production,

thenumber and the solidarity of the proletarians, their
discontent and indignation grow,

thestruggle between the working class and the capitalist class becomes sharper
and the urge to throw off the intolerable yoke of capitalism mounts.

VIII.The emancipation
of the workers must be an
act of the working class
itself. If the yoke of capitalism is to be thrown off,
there must be a social revolution, that is,

VIII.The emancipation of
the workers must be an act
of the working class itself,
because all the other classes
of present-day society stand
for the preservation of the
foundations of the existing
economic system.

Thereal emancipation of
the working class requires a
social revolution, naturally
flowing from the entire development of the capitalist
mode of production, that is,

theabolition of private ownership of the means of production, their conversion
into public property and the replacement of the capitalist production of
commodities by the socialist organisation of the production of commodities by
society as a whole, with the object of ensuring full well-being and free
all-round development forallits members.

IX.To effect this social revolution the proletariat mustwinpolitical power, which will make it master of the situation and
enable it to remove all obstacles along the road to its great goal. In this
sense thedictatorship of the proletariatis an essential
political condition of the social revolution.

X.The revolution of the proletariat will mean the emancipation of all the
now oppressed and suffering mankind, because it will put an end to all
types of oppression and exploitation of man by man.

XI.Russian Social-Democracy undertakes the task of disclosing to the
workers the irreconcilable antagonism between their interests and those of
the capitalists, of explaining, to the proletariat the historical
significance, nature and prerequisites of the social revolution it will
have to carry out, and of organising a revolutionary class party capable of
directing the struggle of the proletariat in all its forms against the
present social and political system.

XII.But the development of international exchange and of production for
the world market has established (created) such close ties among all the
nations of the civilised (?) world, that the great aim of the proletariat’s
emancipation struggle can be achieved only through the joint efforts of
proletarians in all countries. That is
why{6}the present-day working-class
movement had to become, and has long since become, an international
movement, and Russian Social-Democracy regards itself as one of the
detachments of the world army of the proletariat, aspart of
international Social-Democracy.

I.The immediate aims of Russian Social-Democracy are, however,
considerably modified by the fact that in our country numerous remnants of
the pre-capitalist, serf-owning, social system retard the development of
the productive forces in the highest degree, and lower the working
population’s standard of living; they are responsible for the Asiatically
barbarous way in which the many-million- strong peasantry is dying out, and
keep the entire peoplein a state of ignorance and subjection, denying them all rights. The Russian
Social-Democrats still have to work for the free civic and political
institutions which already exist in the leading capitalist countries and which
are undoubtedly necessary for the full and all-round development of the
proletariat’s class struggle against the
bourgeoisie.{7}

II.The most outstanding of these remnants of the serf-owning system and the
most formidable bulwark of all that barbarism and all the calamities of which
the politically free countries are already rid, is the tsarist autocracy; it is
the bitterest and most dangerous enemy of the proletarian emancipation
movement.

Thetsarist autocracy is the most outstanding of these remnants of the
serf-owning system and the most formidable bulwark of all this barbarism. It is
the bitterest and most dangerous enemy of the proletarian emancipation movement
and the cultural development of the entire people.

Forthese reasons Russian Social-Democracy advances as its immediate
political task the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy and its replacement
by arepublicbased on a democratic constitution that would
ensure:

1)the people’s sovereignty, that is....

OUTLINES OF PLAN OF THE DRAFT PROGRAMME

INITIAL VARIANT OF THE AGRARIAN SECTION
AND THE CONCLUDING SECTION OF THE DRAFT
PROGRAMME

Besides,the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party demands:

TheRussian Social-Democratic Labour Party
believes that the complete, consistent and lasting implementation of the
indicated political and social changes can be achieved only by overthrowing
the autocracy and convoking a constituent assembly, freely elected by the
whole people.

OUTLINES OF THE DRAFT PROGRAMME

Commodityproduction is ever more rapidly developing in Russia, her
participation in international trade is
increasing{8}and the capitalist mode of
production is becoming increasingly dominant.

Agrowing majority of the population are unable to maintain their existence
otherwise than by selling their labour-power. In consequence of this they find
themselves in the condition of wage-workers (proletarians) dependent on a
relatively small class of capitalists and big landowners, who hold the most
important part of the means of production and circulation of
commodities.{9}

Themost important part of the means of production is becoming
concentrated in the hands of an insignificant minority of capitalists and
big landowners as their private property. Ever greater numbers of working
men losing their means of production are forced to resort to the sale of
their labour-power. In this way they find themselves in the dependent
condition of wage-workers (proletarians), who by their labour create the
income of the property-owners.

Thedevelopment of capitalism is increasing the number, size and economic
importance of the big enterprises, and is depressing the living standard of the
independent small producers (peasants, artisans, handicraftsmen), turning some
of them into vassals and tributaries of capital and displacing others into the
ranks of the proletariat.

Thehigher the level of technical progress, the more the growth of the demand
for labour-power lags behind the growth of its supply, and the greater are the
opportunities for the capitalists to intensify exploitation of the workers.

Thegrowth of poverty, unemployment, exploitation, oppression and humiliation is
the result of the basic tendencies of capitalism;

Insecurityof existence, unemployment, the yoke of exploitation and
humiliation of every kind are becoming the lot of ever wider sections of the
working population.

Thisprocess is still more aggravated by industrial crises, which are the
inevitable outcome of the said contradictions of capitalism. Poverty and
destitution of the masses exist side by side with a waste of social wealth in
consequence of the im possibility of finding markets for the commodities
produced.

Thus,the gigantic development of the productive forces of social and
increasingly socialised labour is attended by monopolisation of all the
principal advantages of this development by a negligible minority of the
population. The growth of social wealth proceeds side by side with the growth of
social inequality; the gulf between the class of property-owners (the
bourgeoisie) and the class of the proletariat is growing.

(A)§ III. Small-scale production is being ousted to an ever greater degree
by large-scale production. The independent small producers (peasants, artisans
and handicraftsmen)are being turned either into proletarians or vassals and tributaries of capital.

Asthe result of continuous technical progress small-scale production is being
ousted to an ever greater degree by large-scale production. The most important
part of the means of production (of the land and factories, tools and machinery,
railways and other means of communication) is becoming concentrated in the hands
of a relatively insignificant number of capitalists and big landowners as their
private property. The independent small producers (peasants, artisans and
handicraftsmen) are being ruined in growing numbers, losing their means of
production and thus turning into proletarians or else becoming servants and
tributaries of capital. Increasing numbers of working people are compelled to
sell their labour-power.

Inthis way they become wage-workers who are de pendent on the property-owners
and by their labour create the wealth of the latter.

Thesewage-workers (proletarians) thus find themselves in a condition of
dependence on the property-owners, and by their labour create the income of the
latter.

Commodityproduction is ever more rapidly developing in Russia, the capitalist
mode of production becoming increasingly dominant.

Themost important part of the means of production (of the land and factories,
tools and machinery, railways and other means of communication) is becoming
concentrated in the hands of a relatively insignificant number of capitalists
and big landowners as their private property.

Increasingnumbers of working people losing their means of production are
compelled to sell their labour-power. These wage-workers (proletarians) thus
find themselves in a condition of dependence on theproperty-owners, and by their labour create the income of the latter.

Increasingnumbers of working people are compel led to sell their labour-power
and become wage-workers who are dependent on the property-owners, and by their
labour create the wealth of the latter.

Thedevelopment of capitalism is increasing the number, size and economic
importance of the big enterprises, is worsening the condition of the independent
small producers (peasants, artisans, handicraftsmen), turning some of them into
vassals and tributaries of capital, and displacing others into the ranks of the
proletariat.

Thehigher the level of technical progress, the more the growth of the demand
for labour-power lags behind the growth of its supply, and the greater are the
opportunities for the capitalists to intensify exploitation of the
workers. Insecurity of existence and unemployment, the yoke of exploitation, and
humiliation of every kind are becoming the lot of ever wider sections of the
working population.

Thisprocess is being still more aggravated by industrial crises, which are the
inevitable outcome of the basic contradictions of capitalism. Poverty and
destitution of the masses exist side by side with a waste of social wealth in
consequence of the impossibility of finding markets for the commodities
produced.

Thus,the gigantic development of the productive forces of social and
increasingly socialised labour is attended by monopolisation of all the
principal advantages of this development by a negligible minority of the
population. The growth of social wealth proceeds side by side with the growth of
social inequality; the gulf between the class of property-owners (the
bourgeoisie) and the class of the proletariat is
growing.{10}

ADDENDA TO THE AGRARIAN AND FACTORY
SECTIONS OF THE DRAFT PROGRAMME

“Butwith a view to eradicating the remnants of the old serf-owning system
It will work for.”

Perhapswe should insert “and in the interests of free development of the
class struggle in the countryside”.

Thisispromptedby the fact that at this point, too, we must
resolutely draw a line between ourselves andbourgeois democracy,
whose every shade will, of course willingly subscribe to the former
motivation alone.

NB:add to thefactorysection:that the law should establish weekly payments for workers
under all manner of
labour contracts.

{1}The figures in the MS. are in blue pencil and apparently indicate a
desirable rearrangement of the text.—Ed.

{2}“An even greater sharpening of these contradictions” is crossed out as
an opening phrase in the MS.—Ed.

{3}This variant is crossed out in the MS.—Ed.

{4}[DUPLICATE "*"] This variant is crossed out in the MS.—Ed.

{5}In the original § II and § III are transposed in blue
pencil.—Ed.

{6}The words “the great aim of the proletariat’s emancipation
struggle can be achieved only through the joint efforts of proletarians in
all countries. That is why” are crossed out in the MS.—Ed.

{7}This sentence is crossed out in the MS.—Ed.

{8}The words “her participation in international trade is
increasing” are crossed out in the MS.—Ed.

{9}This paragraph is crossed out in the MS.—Ed.

{10}On the back of the original is the following pencilled note:
“...emphatically rejecting all those reformist plans which are connected
with any extension or consolidation of tutelage of the working masses by the
police and officials” This formulation was proposed by Lenin as an
amendment to the concluding part of the Draft Programme of the Russian
Social-Democratic Labour Party

(see present edition, Vol. 6, p. 33).

—Ed.

{11}The Party Programme adopted by the Second Congress of the R.S.D.L.P. in
1903 was worked out by the Editorial Board of Lenin’sIskraat the
end of 1901 and the first half of 1902. Lenin played an outstanding part in
working out the draft. The preparatory material dates from January-February
1902; it is a reflection of key moments in the working out of the draft
programme by theIskraEditorial Board: Lenin’s study of the first
draft of Plekhanov’s programme; his work on his own draft of the
theoretical section of the programme and his participation in writing the
collective draft of the practical section of the programme. All materials
are printed from the originals, with variants of para graphs or parts of
paragraphs printed side by side to facilitate comparison. For the
preparatory material for the R.S.D.L.P. Programme see present edition,
Vol. 6, pp. 17–78.

p. 38

{12}Cut-off lands—lands cut oil from peasants’ allotments in
favour of landowners during the Peasant Reform in Russia in 1861. As a
rule, the peasants were deprived of their best lands, which is why the
cut-off lands were a means used by landowners to enslave the peasants, and
slowed down the elimination of feudal relations in land tenure.

p. 39

{13}Royal demesnesare lands which belonged to the royal family.

p. 48